Spain’s state meteorological agency issued orange alerts signifying “important risk” of flooding as a weather phenomenon known as a DANA  (isolated depression at high levels) swept across coastal areas in the southeastern Spain.

The towns of Los Alcazares and San Javier and surrounding areas were the worst hit after storms saw 100 litres of water fall per square metre on Tuesday morning.

Images showed flooded streets as roads became impassable and schools were suspended.

Residents rushed to shore up their properties from rising waters and dozens of homes in Los Nietos and Los Urrutias in the Campo Cartagena had to evacuated as waters showed no signs of receeding.  

The Guadalentín Valley and the area around Lorca and Águilas were also adversely affected.

The whole of Spain’s southern Mediterranean coast from Malaga to Valencia was hit by the storms which were also heading towards the Balearic Islands and Catalonia.

Yellow alerts were in place across much of the coastline with warnings of high winds above 80kmph and waves up to 4metres high.

The most rainfall was recorded in the Murcia region around the Mar Menor which could provoke further damage to the water table.

Storms in the region in September provoked an environmental crisis causing tens of thousands of dead fish to wash up on the shores of the Mar Menor, Europe’s largest salt water lagoon.